Fox News host Tucker Carlson used the Wednesday, July 21, episode of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” to attack a Black Capitol Police officer who said he was called the N-word more than a dozen times as he defended the Capitol building on Jan. 6.
Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn shared with “Good Morning America” in February that while he was trying to hold rioters back as they breached the building he was approached by several people who began hurling the N-word at him.
“It was a large number of people in that crowd that were racist,” Dunn said. Dunn is set to testify on July 27 in front of a new House committee to investigate the Capitol insurrection. On Wednesday, Carlson attacked the 13-year veteran of the force, claiming he’s “an angry, left-wing political activist” who won’t be impartial.
“Dunn will pretend to speak for the country’s law enforcement community, but it turns out Dunn has very little in common with your average cop,” Carlson said. “Dunn is an angry left-wing political activist whose social media feeds are full of praise, not coincidentally, for Nancy Pelosi,” Carlson said, before a picture of the pair was displayed.
The Democratic-controlled House voted 222 to 190 along almost entirely party lines in June to form a Jan. 6 committee after Senate Republicans previously blocked the formation of an independent commission that would investigate the insurrection that left five people dead and prompted lawmakers to fear for their lives as supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building in attempt to prevent last November’s presidential election result from being certified.
The committee will investigate the causes of the Capitol attack, which includes examining activities of law enforcement agencies and technological factors that may have prompted the event. The committee will also produce a report including findings on how to prevent another attack during a transfer of power.
Five Republicans representatives had been chosen by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to participate in the committee, but the deal to have a bipartisan committee fell apart after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi exercised her prerogative on Wednesday to reject two of the top House Republican’s picks for the group, ardent Trump supporters Jim Jordan of Ohio and Jim Banks of Indiana. McCarthy responded by withdrawing all of his picks for the committee.
Carlson read a 2019 tweet from Dunn, that said, “Racism is so American, that when you protest it, people think you are protesting America.
Carlson continued, “Harry Dunn, ladies and gentlemen. Just another fact-based witness to the insurrection.”
Dunn’s attorneys responded to Carlson’s comments that same night in a statement on Twitter. “Tonight Fox News allowed its host Tucker Carlson, who has not served a day in uniform, whether military or law enforcement, to criticize the heroism and service of African-American U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn,” the statement said.
“Our client has served 13 years in law enforcement and on January 6, 2021, fought against an insurrectionist violent crowd — no doubt many of them Carlson’s supporters — to protect the lives of our elected officials, including Vice President Pence,” the statement continued.
Many online jumped to officer’s Dunn’s defense while calling out Carlson. One person wrote, “Maybe Officer Dunn should see about suing this frozen fried chicken for defamation.”
“He’s “not a real cop” just like, to Republicans, they don’t think democratic voters are “real Americans,” wrote another. Adding, “This way they can still claim to hold all kinds of principles (back the blue, pro-American patriots etc), just exclude the groups that you want to stigmatize as not “real X””
One comment was better communicated as a meme.
David H. Laufman and Mark S. Zaid added that Dunn will still testify next week.
More than 535 people have been charged for their role in the Capitol attack.
